1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for loading and transporting cargo in an airplane cabin and, more particularly, to a novel, modular system and method which can be used to temporarily convert an executive type airplane into a light cargo plane.
2. The Prior Art
Where it is important to travel long distances quickly, small, light aircraft have found numerous uses. These aircraft are often used by corporate executives to travel to distant locations without having to rely upon the limited and sometimes unreliable commercial airline schedules. Additionally, these light aircraft can be used to transport cargo in emergencies or to transport cargo to remote locations.
It has also be found advantageous to transport critically ill or injured patients in small airplanes. Recent advances in the medical field have made it possible to save the lives of persons who would have died under similar circumstances a few years ago. However, in order to provide these life saving treatments it is first necessary to transport the patients to hospitals having the specialized equipment and specially trained doctors to perform the necessary procedures. Small airplanes and helicopters have been utilized as air ambulances to transport such patients.
Two of the major advantages of using small, light aircraft are location and timing. With a small airplane it is possible to quickly travel to locations which are not serviced or which are only inrregularly serviced by commercial airlines. Also, with a small airplane, it is possible to make the trip at almost any time during the day or night. Accordingly, some large corporations have found it advantageous to own their own airplanes. However, many corporations cannot afford to maintain a plane full time because of the high cost involved. In order to justify the cost of maintaining an airplane, it must generally be used to its fullest potential.
One method which has been devised for solving this problem is for a private pilot to own his own plane which he leases, along with his own services, to several different corporations or individuals. In this manner, each of the individual corporations can have the benefit of utilizing a small aircraft but only pay a fraction of the cost.
Another means which could be utilized to help make it more cost effective to own and operate a small airplane would be to diversify the uses for which the airplane is utilized. For example, if the airplane could be used to haul cargo as well as to transport executives, it would be more cost effective. However, in order to utilize a small airplane for diversified purposes, it is usually necessary to modify the interior of the airplane cabin.
When a small airplane is used to transport executives or other persons, the cabin must be equipped with chairs for the executives to sit in and tables at which they can work. When an airplane is used to transport cargo, the cabin must be equipped with racks to secure the cargo in place. If the airplane is used as an air ambulance to transport patients, the interior of the airplane must be equipped with a litter module on which the patient can lie, medical equipment to support the patient, and seats which are turned sideways in the aircraft such that nurses and other attendants can attend to the needs of the patient during flight.
At the present time, there is no convenient way for quickly and easily converting the interior of an airplane from one use to another use. Additionally, the present state of the art often requires that structural changes be made in the airplane to adapt the airplane to a particular purpose.
For example, as mentioned previously, an air ambulance has to be equipped with oxygen tanks, an invertor, a vacuum pump, and other medical equipment such that the nurses can provide for the needs of the patient during flight. At the present time, much of this equipment is positioned in the nose of the airplane and lines must be run through the walls of the airplane and into the cabin, thus requiring structural changes to be made in the airplane.
Also, depending upon the size of the airplane used for air ambulances, it is often difficult or impossible to load the patients into the airplane while they are lying on stretchers. The airplanes which are generally used for air ambulances have cabins which are only about four or five feet in width and about four or five feet in height. Thus, there is very little room in which to maneuver the stretcher on which a patient is lying. Once inside the airplane, the nurses and medics who usually carry the patient are unable to stand upright and must carry the stretcher in a stooped position which places a substantial physical strain on them.
Additionally, most light airplanes only have one cabin door which is generally only about eighteen inches wide, which is narrower than a standard sized stretcher. Thus, the stretcher cannot fit through the door while the stretcher is lying flat, nor can the stretcher be turned such that it runs lengthwise in the airplane. Accordingly, it is necessary to modify the door of the cabin to provide a means for loading the stretcher and patient.
Under the current state of the art, this modification is generally accomplished by forming a supplementary door next to the existing door. These supplementary doors usually swing outward being hinged along one side to provide a large opening through which a stretcher can be maneuvered. In order to form these supplementary doors, it is necessary to cut out a portion of the side of the airplane which upsets the structural integrity of the aircraft. Accordingly, special steps have to be taken to add reinforcement means back into the body of the airplane. The cost of forming this additional door and the other modifications necessary to convert an airplane into an air ambulance generally run on the order of about $100,000.
Accordingly, it would be a significant advancement in the art to provide a modular system for easily and quickly converting the interior of an airplane cabin such that it could be used for many different purposes. It would be a further advancement in the art to provide a system for converting an airplane into an air ambulance or into a cargo plane which does not necessitate the forming of a supplementary door in the side of the cabin or making other structural changes in the airplane and which also facilitates the loading of patients or cargo. Such a system is disclosed and claimed herein.